OurFestive SeasonLine-up

Wits University academic Dr Jennifer Fitchett believes that the increasing temperature of the Indian Ocean caused by global warming means South Africa as well as Mozambique, may start experiencing category five tropical cyclones.

This would cause devastation in the countries.

Dr Fitchett joined Joanne Joseph on the Afternoon Drive to explain further.

Any cyclone requires about seven different ocean atmospheric conditions to be able to form and those include the humidity of the area, the sea surface temperature experience within that area, the wind direction...all of those things interplay to create conditions in which a tropical cyclone can form.

— Dr Jennifer Fitchett, Senior Lecturer at School Of Geography, Archaeology And Environmental Studies at Wits

For these category 5 storms it seems that in particular, sea surface temperatures of 29 degrees averaged across an entire year are particularly important.

— Dr Jennifer Fitchett, Senior Lecturer at School Of Geography, Archaeology And Environmental Studies at Wits